Crazy Dreams

Crazy Dreams is the compelling and highly anticipated autobiography from Paul Brady, a musician whose remarkable career has spanned six decades and who is indisputably one of Ireland’s greatest living songwriters. This evocative memoir chronicles Paul’s many years at the forefront of the Irish folk scene, from The Johnstons and Planxty through to his seminal work with Andy Irvine and onwards to his own vaunted solo career. Along the way are the many encounters and collaborations with such musical luminaries as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Carole King, Tina Turner, Mark Knopfler and Bonnie Raitt to name but a glittering few. From such celebrated tracks as ‘The Island’, ‘Nobody Knows’ and ‘The World is What You Make It’ to his interpretations of traditional folk songs like ‘Arthur McBride’ and ‘The Lakes of Pontchartrain’, Paul has carved out his own unique place in Irish musical history. In Crazy Dreams he tells how it was done and regales the reader with remarkable stories of life on the road and the journey from small-town Tyrone to the world’s stage. 

Paul Brady, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is one of Ireland’ s most enduringly popular artists. Born in Belfast and raised in Strabane, close to the border with the Irish Republic, he was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Brady joined the Irish ballad group, The Johnstons, with whom he recorded seven albums. He is renowned as one of Ireland’ s best interpreters of traditional songs. Paul Brady continues to push out the boundaries not only of his own talent but of Irish contemporary music in the new millennium.

PART ONE Strabane 1950 Early Schooldays Mother’ s and Father’ s People Beginnings of Music Where is Irish Music Hiding? Here Comes Summer St Columb’ s College Music in My Teens Dublin/UCD 1964 Chink of Light The Folk Scene The Johnstons The Move to London Both Sides Now Running on the Spot So now, America Meeting Mary Elliott Busted Loose Planxty Andy Irvine & Paul Brady Beginnings of Metamorphosis PART TWO Getting Real 1979 Now or Never True for You/Ridge Farm, Jan/Feb 1982 Rory Gallagher and Phil Lynott Pride and Progress Touring with Dire Straits Tina Turner Meeting Bob Dylan Back to the Centre& ‘ The Homes Of Donegal’ The Island Primitive Dance RDS 1987 Trick Or Treat Songs and Crazy Dreams Spirits Colliding The Castle Not-making-an-album Oh What A World The Paul Brady Songbook at Vicar Street, October 2001 RTÉ Series Acceptance Hooba Dooba Big Changes Reprieve Looking back and Looking Forward